Method and apparatus for cleaning tubes and the like



M. J. ZlNTY July 31, 1962 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING TUBES AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 27, 1958 INVENTOR /6/70 ;?5'1.Er. Z 2/ T \& m W

M42422 4! Z/A/TV y 1962 M. J. ZINTY 3,047,436

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING TUBES AND THE LIKE Fil'ed Aug. 27, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR -M,4 /Pc4 u. zwrv ATTO R N EYS United States Patent METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING TUBES AND THE LIKE Marcel J. Zinty, New York, N.Y., assignor to Magnus Chemical Company, Inc, Garwood, N.J., a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 27, 1958, Ser. No. 757,621 6 Claims. (Cl. 134-23) This invention relates to the cleaning of articles of tubular form or which incorporate one or more openended bores-such, for instance, as tubes and pipes and assembled articles, such as heat exchangers.

Various types of tube and pipe are required to be cleaned as the final step in the manufacturing process. In the manufacture of drawn tube, for example, the otherwise finished product may carry dirt or other foreign matter such as drawing compounds or lubricants which are required to be removed before the tube is shipped. Used heat exchangers of certain types are also required to be cleaned at intervals, to remove deposits of one kind or another adhering to the inside or outside of their tubes.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus whereby such articles, either in bundles or singly, depending upon their size and form, can be cleaned in a highly effective manner and with maximum efficiency with regard to the power, time and quantity of washing solution consumed in the operation.

The invention will be readily understood from the following description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partly schematic view, in the nature of a vertical, longitudinal section of a wash tank and associated apparatus embodying one form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate different stages of the cleaning operation, the views corresponding to the showing of FIG. 1 but with parts omitted;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross section on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing a heat exchanger in the bath instead of individual tubes;

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIGS. 2 and 3 but illustrating an alternative procedure.

In general, the invention involves the use of a tank containing a cleansing liquid appropriate for the removal of the particular foreign matter or soil from the article under treatment. Support means are provided for the article (which may be a single article or a bundle of similar articles if their size and form permit) and, by lowering and raising the support means, the article is immersed in the liquid bath and then raised so that at least one end of it is above the liquid surface and, in any event, is above the other end of the article, thereby causing the liquid within the article bore and on theouter surface of the article to fiow toward the low end. Then, after the article has been re-imrnersed, what was formerly the low end is raised to the higher elevation, so that the liquid flow is reversed. Preferably, both ends of the article or bundle are raised above the liquid surface (but, alternately, to higher elevations, as stated) so that, in each cycle, there is a free flow or discharge of cleaning liquid throughout the full length of the bore. By the above method, it has been found, extremely effective cleaning can be accomplished and with surprising savings in the factors above mentioned, such as the power, time and quantity of washing solution required for the thorough cleaning of any particular article.

Reverting now to the drawings, there is indicated a tank 1 containing a suitable liquid cleaning medium 2. Means for supporting at least the opposite ends of the article to be cleaned are provided and are adapted to be reciprocated vertically and independently so as to raise the opposite ends of the article, alternately, to different elevations, as mentioned above. In this instance, the support means are shown as including a rectangular platform 3, which may be provided with upwardly extending cradle walls 4 (FIG. 1) if the ,article 5 to be supported is, say, a bundle of tubes. In FIG. 6 the platform 3 is shown provided with chocks 10 to locate an article 11, such as a heat exchanger.

The article platform is suspended, preferably at each of its corners, as by cables 12 and power means are provided for operating the cables to bring about the action described above.

In this schematic showing, a reversible electric motor 15 is coupled to a speed reducer 16, the output shaft 17 of which carries a sprocket 18 which, through chain 19 and sprocket 2t), drives shaft 21. The latter carries drums 22 for winding up and unwinding the platform cables 12. A timer 25 controls the operation of motor 15.

At the other end of the tank, an identical'drive assembly is provided, the elements corresponding to those just described being indicated by primed reference char acters. A master switch or control is indicated at 26.

The timers 25, 25 may be of the familiar kind used in certain types of domestic washing machines, serving to control both the direction of operation of the respective motors and the duration of their running periods in each direction, with appropriate intervening rest periods.

It will thus be apparent that, with the timers appropriately set, the article may be lowered into the cleaning bath, as to the full line horizontal position indicated in FIG. 1. After a suitable soaking interval, the motors reverse and the article may then be raised to the broken line position of FIG. 3, at which time motor 25 is stopped by its timer but motor 25 continues until the adjacent end of the platform is raised to the full line position, when motor 25 is stopped by its timer. After a suitable draining interval, motor 25 lowers its end of the article to the broken line position of FIG. 3 and then both motors unwind their cables to re-immerse the article. On the next or a subsequent cycle, each timer performs the same control function as did the other timer on the first cycle, so as to raise the article, this time, to the FIG. 4 position. These cycles, of course, are repeated for as long as necessary. Thus, the article (meaning each tube of the bundle, in this instance) is thoroughly cleaned by the medium flowing through it over and over again, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction.

It will be recognized that the settings of the timers may be modified to vary the action to suit the needs of the particular case. For instance, it has been found to be desirable in some cases to start slanting or tilting the article while it is still in the liquid. Thus, as indicated in FIG. 7, the lefthand end of the article may first be raised and thereafter the article raised bodily in its slanted position; and on the subsequent cycle the righthand end may first be raised and thereafter the article similarly raised bodily in its slanted position. By this procedure the draining is retarded, there being a less violent rush of the liquid toward and out of the lower end of the article in its elevated position.

In the light of the foregoing description of arrangements illustrative of the principles of the invention, which are susceptible of embodiment in numerous forms to meet the exigencies of particular cases, the following is claimed:

1. The method of cleaning the interior of a bore in an elongated article having openings at opposite ends of the article wherein the article is alternately moved vertically between a lowered position where the article is immersed in a bath of a cleaning fluid and a raised position where at least one end of the article is above the surface of the liquid in said bath, the steps which comprise positioning one end of the article at a higher elevation than the other end thereof as the article is moved to the raised position thereof and reversing the relative positions of said ends of the article on the next movement of the article to said raised position.

2. The method of cleaning the interior of an openended bore which extends through and has openings at opposite ends of an elongated article which comprises alternately immersing the article bodily in a bath of a cleaning fluid and moving said article vertically to a raised position above the surface of the liquid of the bath in which one end of the article containing an opening of the bore is elevated with respect to the end of the article containing the other opening of the bore and the relative positions of said ends of the article are reversed on successive movements of the article to the raised position thereof whereby the cleaning liquid within the bore flows through the bore and is discharged from opposite ends of the bore when the article is in the raised position on successive movements.

3. The method of cleaning the interior of an openended bore which extends through and has openings at opposite ends of an elongated article as defined in claim 2 wherein the article when immersed in the bath of clean ing liquid is in a substantially horizontal position.

4. The method of cleaning the interior of an openended bore which extends through and has openings at opposite ends of an elongated article as defined in claim 2 wherein a plurality of the elongated articles are simultaneously immersed in the bath of cleaning liquid and moved vertically to the raised position.

5. In an apparatus for cleaning the interior of openended bores in elongated articles such as tubes, each of which contains a bore having openings at opposite ends thereof wherein the articles alternately immersed bodily in a tank containing a cleaning liquid and are raised vertically to a raised position above the surface of the liq uid in the tank, the combination which comprises an open tank adapted to contain a cleaning liquid, a movable support adapted to carry at least one elongated article having an open-ended bore extending therethrough, said support being movable vertically relative to the tank and the liquid therein between a raised position where the article carried by the support is above the surface level of the liquid in the tank and a lowered position where ass the article is immersed in the liquid in the tank, a pair of drive mechanisms connected to the support for moving the support between said raised and lowered positions, a timer connected to and controlling the operation of each of the drive mechanisms, said timers being set to interrupt operation of the respective drive mechanisms at different elevations of the opposite ends of the article in a first movement of the support to its raised position and at relatively reverse positions of different elevation of said ends of the article in the next movement of the support to its raised position.

6. In an apparatus for washing the interior of openended bores in a plurality of elongated articles such as tubes, each of which contains a bore having openings at opposite ends thereof wherein the articles are alternately immersed bodily in a tank containing a washing liquid and are raised vertically to a raised position above the surface of the liquid in the tank, the combination which comprises a platform on which a plurality of elongated articles having open-ended bores extending therethrough are supported, said platform being movable vertically between a raised position above an open tank containing a washing liquid and a lowered position within said tank, flexible strands connected to said platform at opposite ends thereof, a drive mechanism located at each end of the tank and connected to the flexible strands at one end of the platform and a timer connected to and controlling the operation of each of the drive mechanisms, said timers being set to interrupt the operation of the respective drive mechanisms at positions of different elevation of the respective ends of the platform in one raised position thereof and at relatively reverse positions of different elevation of said ends of the platform upon successive movements of the platform to the raised position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 561,714 Lynch June 9, 1896 672,137 Stiefel Apr. 16, 1901 947,460 Schlabs Jan. 25, 1910 2,087,978 Keller July 27, 1937 2,450,157 McKee Aug. 6, 1946 2,481,400 Davis Sept. 6, 1949 2,580,371 Watson Dec. 25, 1951 2,625,906 Forney Jan. 20, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,047,436 July 31 1962 Marcel .I. Zinty It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

line 36 after "articles" insert are Column 3 7" read 2,405, 157

column 4, line 44, for "2,450, 15

Signed and sealed this 13th day of November 1962.

(SEAL) Attest:

DAVID L. LADD ERNEST W. SWIDER Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

1. THE METHOD OF CLEANING THE INTERIOR OF A BORE IN AN ELONGATED ARTICLE HAVING OPENINGS AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE ARTICLE WHEREIN THE ARTICLE IS ALTERNATELY MOVED VERTICALLY BETWEEN A LOWERED POSITION WHERE THE ARTICLE IS IMMERSED IN A BATH OF A CLEANING FLUID AND A RAISED POSITION WHERE AT LEAST ONE END OF THE ARTICLE IS ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE LIQUID IN SAID BATH THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE POSITIONING ONE END OF THE ARTICLE AT A HIGHER ELEVATED THAN THE OTHER END THEREOF AS THE ARTICLE IS MOVED TO THE RAISED POSITION THEREOF AND REVERSING THE RELATIVE POSITIONS OF SAID ENDS OF THE ARTICLE ON THE NEXT MOVEMENT OF THE ARTICLE TO SAID RAISED POSITION. 